Greatest Beatle Song Ever?
EmailXorje Olivares reports from New York City: Music fans everywhere will be able to get an anthology of some of the Beatles’ greatest hits — well, with a little help from our friends at Rolling Stone that is.
The entertainment magazine has released a special collector’s edition issue entitled “The Beatles: 100 Greatest Songs,” in which it lists its favorite top tunes from the British pop stars. The issue coincides with the 40th anniversary of the release of their final studio album, “Let It Be.” On Wednesday, the magazine released its Top 10 list of greatest Beatles songs, with the 1967 John Lennon and Paul McCartney collaboration “A Day in the Life,” coming out on top. The song, which was the final track on the band’s “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” record, was reportedly inspired by newspaper articles and McCartney’s past. “A lot of pleasure and some questions, [but] the No. 1 surprised people the most,” said John Dioso, deputy managing editor for Rolling Stone and editor of the Beatles’ edition, when asked what the feedback has been on the issue so far. “People are entitled to their opinion, which is the fun part about doing these lists. But at the end of the day, it’s a very subjective list.” Dioso said it took as many as four weeks for staff members to compile their lists of the greatest songs, which were then considered for the final issue. After weeding out certain requests, the group ranked the remaining songs based on criteria such as musical innovation and historical importance. Dioso placed “A Day in the Life” at the top of his list, calling it the “center of a masterpiece album.” Also leading Rolling Stone’s list at No. 2 was the 1963 classic “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” which was the Beatles’ first No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song eventually became the band’s best-selling single worldwide. CLICK HERE to watch Diane’s conversation with Ringo Starr on his 70th birthday Following at No. 3 was “Strawberry Fields Forever,” which was inspired by Lennon’s childhood, and “Yesterday,” which according to Guinness World Records, has the most cover versions of any song ever written, with more than 3,000. “Hey Jude,” considered to be one of the Beatles’ signature songs, was ranked seventh on the list. Interestingly enough, though nominated for record of the year, song of the year and best pop performance by a group with vocal at the 1969 Grammy Awards, the group went home empty-handed that night in those categories. At No. 8 was the 1970 hit “Let It Be,” which many critics have credited as being the Beatles’ greatest song. Rounding out the list are “Come Together,” which was the opening track on “Abbey Road,” and “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” which was written for “The White Album” by lead guitarist George Harrison. Rolling Stone actually ranked the latter song No. 135 on its list of the 500 greatest songs of all time. “We thought it was a risky proposition, seeing how passionate people are about this particular band. We knew it was opening up Pandora’s Box to some extent,” Dioso said. “Once we decided to do that…we wanted it to be a stand-alone special issue. We wanted to pay tribute to the Beatles in a way that we haven’t done before.” Rolling Stone’s Complete Top 10 List:
1. ”A Day in the Life”
2. ”I Want to Hold Your Hand”
3. ”Strawberry Fields Forever”
4. ”Yesterday”
5. ”In My Life”
6. ”Something”
7. ”Hey Jude”
8. ”Let it Be”
9. ”Come Together”
10. ”While My Guitar Gently Weeps”
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The Greatest Beatle Song isn’t a song at all, it’s the whole back side of Abbey Road, which can’t be divided into “songs”
Posted by: RMKH | August 26, 2010, 1:57 pm 1:57 pm
I second that emotion, Mr. RMKH. The Abbey Road medley is the Beatles’ greatest piece of work.
Posted by: Don | August 26, 2010, 2:06 pm 2:06 pm
I think there may be some inaccuracies here .. First, I beleive that A Day In The Life was not about Paul’s history … it was mainly John’s song (he read the news paper) with Paul writing the middle bit. Let It Be was not actually their last studio album … it was a huge film/recording project that didn’t go well. After the Let It Be sessions were completed they went back into the studio to record a “real” Beatle record … Abbey Road. It is true that Let It Be was released after the Abbey Road record. Hey Jude was really Paul’s song to Julian.
Posted by: Ted Keffalo | August 26, 2010, 2:31 pm 2:31 pm
Even as a fellow Briton I find it near impossible to decide, there’s so many to choose from. Personally, my favourites are ‘Eleanor Rigby’, ‘She’s Leaving Home’ and ‘Girl’. Slightly off-topic, but for me John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ and ‘Woman’ are the greatest songs ever composed. All favourites are personal though I suppose.
Posted by: ThunorUK | August 26, 2010, 3:04 pm 3:04 pm
Another vote for the Abbey Road “medley” on side B. I think it is the best example of the styles and talents of each member coming to the forefront (including one of the greatest drum solos EVER!) combined into a phenomonal, escalating masterpiece, ending with a cresendo and total release. As the official “last song”, so to speak, of the Beatles, it stands forever as a sort of culmination. But I suppose it isn’t technically a “song”.
Posted by: Raven | August 26, 2010, 3:12 pm 3:12 pm
Nice to see George get his due with two songs in the top ten. A little distressed to see only one song from the early touring years represented. What about: She Loves You, Eight Days a Week, She’s a Woman, Ticket to Ride, A Hard Days Night, And I Love Her, I Feel Fine…I could go on here.
Posted by: Brian Levine | August 26, 2010, 3:26 pm 3:26 pm
Here is my top 10 (as of today; tomorrow I might pick differently): 1. A Day in the Life 2. Hey Jude 3. Abbey Road medley 4. Dear Prudence 5. Blackbird 6. I Will 7. I’ve Just Seen a Face 8. If I Fell 9. She’s Leaving Home 10. A Hard Day’s Night.
And I’d throw in Hey Bulldog, for good measure.
Posted by: Dee | August 26, 2010, 4:14 pm 4:14 pm
My parents raised me on The Beatles since I was born after they broke up. Their music to this day stands above everyone else ever recorded. Ask any kid to name a Beatle song and most them can, but ask to name a song by Elvis or some other group and they go huh? The songs listed by everyone above could be a Top list for any other band. This was not an easy list to compile. I am curoius to see where Help, Revolution and the others fall out. Just proves their greatness.
Posted by: Steve M | August 26, 2010, 4:15 pm 4:15 pm
Here, There and Everywehere has won “best song ever” contests by all artists. Classic Lyrics.
“Girl” and Norwegian Wood” come to mind. Daytripper, Paperback Writer and I Feel Fine were SO classic rockers.
Penny Lane, Strawberry Fields, I am the Walrus and I’m Only Sleeping show incredible songwriting talent.
George wrote “Something” which is equal to Yesterday (or maybe surpasses it) in terms of cover versions.
I could go on forever myself.
“Rovolution” is the most pertinent song for today’s world. Timeless.
Posted by: Paul Motter | August 26, 2010, 4:18 pm 4:18 pm
Whatever song by THE BEATLES,I happen to hear at that moment in time is the
greatest. I hear a BEATLE song and I’m
gone.
Posted by: Louieg | August 26, 2010, 4:41 pm 4:41 pm
Let It Be.
Posted by: fay | August 26, 2010, 4:44 pm 4:44 pm
I was 32 (never trust anyone over 30) years old in 1966 and knew little or nothing about them when I saw the Beatles’ movie “Help” and I was bowled over by these (to me) children. Now (if they were all still alive) they are all older than I was then, and I still love almost everything they’ve ever done, music, movies, protests, world-shaking events (excluding the assassination of John) all of it. Who would have thought of them as life-changing but they changed mine and I’m sure they changed most everyone else’s. Their music is among the best that anyone, ever, has composed or performed. I am not excluding the Beethoven’s, the early rockers, Buddy Holly, and anyone performing today from my “anyone, ever” criteria.
Best 10 list. Phhhhhhhhheeeehh. They are the best 100 almost all by themselves.
Posted by: Michael P. Wein | August 26, 2010, 5:13 pm 5:13 pm
Any true Beatles fan knows and truly believes that “A Day In The Life” is certainly the greatest song by the band, if not one of the top 5 greatest songs ever written.
Posted by: Dan Hodges | August 26, 2010, 6:55 pm 6:55 pm
“Let It Be” is not only the best song the Beatles ever wrote but also the best song ever written by anybody!
Posted by: Laurie Bizub | August 26, 2010, 6:57 pm 6:57 pm
Actually, Yesterday is the most recorded song of all time.
Posted by: Pat. | August 26, 2010, 6:57 pm 6:57 pm
Impossible task. I could _possibly_ come up with a top 25 list if I had to.
It’s a case of which diamond is prettier.
Posted by: MikeC | August 26, 2010, 6:59 pm 6:59 pm
Many years ago while going through a rough spot in my life, “Let It Be” saw me through. I thank the Beatles for the song and their inspiration.
Posted by: Hank Weiner | August 26, 2010, 7:00 pm 7:00 pm
it is what ever is playing at the Time.
Posted by: James | August 26, 2010, 7:01 pm 7:01 pm
I was a teenager living in England when the Beatles started becoming popular over there. This was before they had traveled to the States. One of their first songs was “She loves you”. I had a much younger brother at that time (2 1/2) who would walk around singing the tune. As my younger brother, Richard, is not living now…I have to say that that song is my favorite.
Posted by: Susan | August 26, 2010, 7:05 pm 7:05 pm
I have always thought that A Day in a Life was one of the best songs ever. The period between Late 65 til late 69 was so incredibly progressive. Not only was their talent soaring but technology allowed them to be as creative as they could.
Posted by: Jim | August 26, 2010, 7:10 pm 7:10 pm
Strictly by the charts, which reflects radio airplay and music sales, “Hey Jude” has to be their greatest song because it spent 9 weeks at #1! Here’s the next 5:
2. I Want to Hold Your Hands (7 weeks)
3. Can’t Buy Me Love (4 weeks)
4. Twist & Shout (4 weeks)
5. I Feel Fine (3 weeks)
6. Help! (3 weeks)
Posted by: L. Rinehart | August 26, 2010, 7:10 pm 7:10 pm
These are my personal top 10:
1. All My Lovin’
2. I Want to Hold Your Hand
3. Hey Jude
4. She Loves You
5. Eleanor Rigby
6. Michelle
7. Back in the USSR
8. I Saw Her Standing There
9. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
10. From Me To You
Posted by: L. Rinehart, Joplin Mo. | August 26, 2010, 7:16 pm 7:16 pm
I agree with the abbey road medley as the best ever. to know that they were fighting and could still come together to finish up with the best rocker (each taking turns on the guitar riffs) finally a drum solo and the best lyrics (and in the end…) they showed that no one will ever come full circle like that again. Even their last picture (blue album) was in the same place as one of their first pictures (red album).
Posted by: fred | August 26, 2010, 7:34 pm 7:34 pm
1. I am the walres 2. lucy in the sky with dimonds 3.while my guitar gently weeps.
Posted by: Kenny | August 26, 2010, 8:16 pm 8:16 pm
I AM THE WALRES FOREVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Kenny | August 26, 2010, 8:18 pm 8:18 pm
I Want To Hold Your Hand
Posted by: Terry | August 26, 2010, 8:43 pm 8:43 pm
My 2 favs are: Light My Fire and People Are Strange. All others tie for second I think.
Posted by: steve | August 26, 2010, 9:01 pm 9:01 pm
“i want to hold your hand” should be #1
Posted by: yobi | August 26, 2010, 9:11 pm 9:11 pm
It’s so gratifying to hear that some people feel the same way I do about side 2 of Abbey Road. With the death of vinyl, we don’t think about album sides much anymore, but I used to make tapes of favorite sides, and that Abbey Road Side 2 was the inspiration.
Posted by: Paul Ogle | August 26, 2010, 9:20 pm 9:20 pm
I enthusiastically concur with the No. 1 choice of “A Day in the Life.” No other song, Beatles or other, comes close. It was definitely based upon John Lennon’s experiences; Paul McCartney added the “Woke up, fell out of bed, dragged a comb across my head…” as the Lennon composition evolved in the studio. I do think, however, that George Harrison’s “While my Guitar Gently Weeps” should have been ranked even higher, especially the acoustic version (“I wait in the wings…”). And the there are the covers. The Beatles’rendition of Buddy Holly’s “Words of Love” still blows me away.
Posted by: DrRas | August 26, 2010, 9:38 pm 9:38 pm
The best Beatle song? “While my guitar gently weeps”. Hands down. Maybe the best rock and roll song ever.
Posted by: rico | August 26, 2010, 9:56 pm 9:56 pm
“All you need is Love” Babies, all you need that’s all.
Posted by: Ant | August 26, 2010, 10:04 pm 10:04 pm
No one mentioned “A Long and Winding Road” or ” Golden Slumbers”…actually all their music is as good as any written before, or since… including classical music.
Posted by: Lois Donnell | August 26, 2010, 10:10 pm 10:10 pm
“All YOU Need Is Love” Badies, Love is all need. Hey the song saids it all.
Posted by: Ant | August 26, 2010, 10:43 pm 10:43 pm
Many great early tunes; All my Lovin, Happy just to dance with you, Here There and Everywhere, Do you want to know a secret…….
but I was surprised to see Eleanor Rigby omitted.
I’m a big Beatles fan but I actively DISLIKE six of the songs on this list, LOL
Posted by: Lake | August 26, 2010, 11:00 pm 11:00 pm
What is the greatest? I believe most of their songs are the greatest.
Posted by: rwsmith | August 26, 2010, 11:01 pm 11:01 pm
By the Way, Rolling Stone magazines’ greatest lists are universally hailed as trash. I’ll buy that argument. I subscribed until recently quit when their were no redeeming features at all in their magazine. They could write a book on how to turn a great magazine into junk.
Posted by: rwsmith | August 26, 2010, 11:06 pm 11:06 pm
I would say, “Michelle”.
Posted by: Caspar | August 26, 2010, 11:08 pm 11:08 pm
To be right you get the booby prize. Let it go it was such great music. I lived and loved all of it.
Posted by: Angelgroove | August 26, 2010, 11:34 pm 11:34 pm
A point of (nit-picking) order here. Song #4, “Yesterday”, is not a Beatles song. It is a McCartney-only song, both in composition and performance, that was so non-Beatle that the other members didn’t want it released as a single. It is a Beatles song only in that it appeared under the Beatles’ name.
Posted by: Publius | August 26, 2010, 11:38 pm 11:38 pm
My grandfather, who never harmed a fly, cornered me at the ripe age of 5 and told me that if he heard me sing “I want to hold you hand” one more time he would break my neck. My favorite though would have to be lucy in the sky with diamonds….
Posted by: drano | August 26, 2010, 11:53 pm 11:53 pm
A Day in a Life is gimmicky, pretentious and trying too hard to be deeply philosophical. But it’s not a surprising choice for Rolling Stone staffers.
“Eleanor Rigby”, hands down. The innovative string ensemble accompaniment is beautifully haunting — the perfect match for the wistfully understated lyrics.
My personal favorite is “Here Comes the Sun”. No great masterpiece but it’s just so joyously, uncompromisingly, and unapologetically optimistic.
Posted by: aardman | August 27, 2010, 12:20 am 12:20 am
The beatles had carte blanche in the studio to make as many takes as they wanted. Then they would go back and decide which version of the song they thought best to put out on the album. When I listen to the rejected versions on Anthology they sound technically perfect, but I think they were rejected because they just did not have the right “feel.” The original releases of the songs listed below move me in ways that often bring tears to my eyes. I can understand why they made the cut. Thank you J,P,G, and R.
1) Girl
2) Shes leaving home
3) Norwegian wood
4) I wanna hold your hand
5) And I love her
6) Blackbird
7) Tomorrow never knows
8) Michelle
9) And I love her
10) With a little help from my friends
Posted by: Mark from atlanta | August 27, 2010, 1:53 am 1:53 am
well I won’t even begin to rank their songs but I was fortunate enough to see Paul the last time he toured the east coast and he put on the best show of anyone, anywhere, anytime. A truly amazing and spectacular event. If you ever get the chance don’t miss it.
Posted by: dk | August 27, 2010, 4:15 am 4:15 am
Well, I have a three observations on this. First, the Rolling Stone is no better judge of this than you or I. Second, ABC is yet another example of how behind the social media curve corporate America is. (Why didn’t they provide a form for people to list their top three, and summarize and publish the results along with known demographics of their audience?) Third, besides Yoko, why can’t people buy and download their OWN 100 at a discount?
Feel free to contact me for consulting opportunities. :-)
Posted by: @aclift | August 27, 2010, 10:40 am 10:40 am
I started a thread for this subject on Eric Carmen’s website, and have received over 20 responses so far. Only one person has included “A Day In the Life” in their list of top 10 favorite Beatles songs. It’s a fine tune, but it is not among their charting hits because it was never released as a single, except just as a ‘B’ side. “Rolling Stone” seems off base here.
Posted by: L. Rinehart, Joplin Mo. | August 27, 2010, 1:31 pm 1:31 pm
Abbey Road medley 2nd side is one of the top 100
Posted by: britt | August 27, 2010, 2:40 pm 2:40 pm
Dear Prudence.
Posted by: mark | August 27, 2010, 4:49 pm 4:49 pm
what kind of low quality dope are those people at rolling stoned smoking?
this list is so inaccurate, it’s NOT funny.
what an injustice to the beatles.
Posted by: missmoondog | August 29, 2010, 9:58 am 9:58 am
Is this a trick question??? I don’t know if I could choose ‘just 10′ if my life depended on it…
Posted by: Vicki | September 1, 2010, 11:39 pm 11:39 pm
I prefer “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer” to be the best. HAHAHA! Just kidding. I LIKE that song, but it’s not their best material. I think “Hey Jude” is the best Beatles song ever. I believe it was the first Beatles song i ever heard, or was conscious of hearing. I probably heard them all when i was a baby. I also like the feel-good song by John, which is “In My Life”. “The Long and Winding Road” is another personal favorite. “Hello Goodbye” should be in the top 10, as well!” There’s so many others that i love. “Penny Lane”, “Rain”, “Paperback Writer”, “Please Please Me”.
Posted by: Ricky | September 11, 2010, 8:06 am 8:06 am
I forgot to mention “Free As A Bird”, and “The Night Before”.
Posted by: Ricky | September 11, 2010, 8:08 am 8:08 am
Maybe not in the top ten but a lot of people don’t think of the Beatles as a blues band. Listen to “Oh Darling!” It’s really a great, great blues tune.
Posted by: Rob | September 29, 2010, 2:32 am 2:32 am
If let it be is not number one, then all I have to say is; its over.
Posted by: Its over | September 29, 2010, 10:34 pm 10:34 pm
Please-kid’s can’t name an Elvis song? Where are you living? under a rock?
Posted by: Taylor Presley | November 13, 2010, 2:08 pm 2:08 pm
First – “I Want To Hold Your Hand” is only well-known historically, not a ‘great’ song in the sense of songwriting – you’d think Rolling Stone would know??
Among those who loved the Beatles in their time – and what was really playing on our Pioneer Turntables – while society raised their eyebows at our long hair – and our garage bands learned their songs – for us the list would be:
1. A Day in the Life
2. Hey Jude
3. Something
4. Here Comes the Sun
5. While My Guitar Gently Weeps
6. Eleanor Rigby
7. I Am The Walrus
8. Sergeant Pepper/ With a Little Help…
9. I Want You (She’s So Heavy)
10. Yesterday
11. Let It Be
12. Back in the USSR ( just ten songs aren’t inclusive enough to define what was great)
The present day writers at Rolling Stone…weren’t there when the movement was in place. Nice try to compile a sequence, but totally not in the spirit of the music. Somebody has been listening to too much ‘manufactured’ music, with little sense of knowing ‘songwriter-performers’ like the Beatles.
Posted by: Robin | November 13, 2010, 3:11 pm 3:11 pm